


Stay the Same

by XingPanda



Series: Kinder Than Anyone [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, also i wrote this to be gen but it's totally valid to read this as sanami, me every time i post a sanji fic and it's tagged vinsmoke: huh! i can't read all of a sudden idk!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 09:24:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17864756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XingPanda/pseuds/XingPanda
Summary: Nami will always be there for her crew when they need her.





	Stay the Same

No one was allowed in Nami’s section of the garden. That was her place. Her special little spot of home. After spending long hours indoors working on her world map, she liked to head up there and tend to the fruit. It always managed to calm whatever storm was currently raging through her mind.

She hadn’t had the chance to even water the trees since they had arrived at Whole Cake Island.

Now, after rescuing Sanji and escaping from that hell island she could finally take a moment to care for her tangerines and breathe.

And with half the crew gone, there was even less of a chance of her being disturbed. Which was why Nami was a little surprised to see Sanji standing near the garden, his back turned, staring out to sea.

As always he had a cigarette held between two slender fingers. A gust of wind rolled by, rustling Sanji’s hair and blowing smoke sideways as the cigarette continued to burn. It looked like he hadn’t taken a drag in a while, half of the cigarette had burned down to ash.

“Sanji?”

He startled at her voice. Red flag. Sanji’s observation haki was superb, he always knew when someone was coming. Usopp and Luffy had even made a game of it at one point. Try and sneak up on Sanji and whoever does it first gets to be the Super Ultimate Best Captain which according to Usopp was way better than just being a regular captain.

Neither of them had ever managed to win.

Nami couldn’t even take pride in being the new Super Ultimate Best Captain because when her brown eyes met Sanji’s blue-gray ones, it was clear that something was wrong.

“Ah, sorry Nami-san. I’ll get out of your hair.”

He tapped the cigarette, shaking the ashes into the sea below, before turning to leave. Nami placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

Things had been a little tense between them since Sanji’s fight with Luffy. She’d forgiven him, mainly because she’d come to realize there were extenuating circumstances. Sanji still hadn’t told her the full story of the abuse he’d suffered from the Vinsmokes and she doubts he will.

Sanji was an emotional guy who wore his heart on his sleeve, but he was also a strangely private person.

She didn’t need to know about his past but the ghost of it still clung to his skin and it was clearly weighing him down.

“Sanji-kun, do you want to talk?”

“About what, my sweet summer flower?”

“I don’t know, you just seem…” Something about Sanji’s face made her not want to finish that sentence. Maybe it was the way his lips pushed together into a thin line, trying to hold back emotion. “We’re family I just...I’m worried about you.”

Sanji exaggeratedly pressed a hand to his heart. “Ah, your concern is touching! Could this be a love confession? The answer is y-“

“Sanji. It’s okay. You don’t have to...” she motioned to him. “Put on a whole charade that everything’s fine and you’re okay. I know you’re not. I’ve been where you are, after that mess with Arlong, and I just wanted to let you know that I’m here. I’m always going to be here if you need me.”

“A generous offer, my angel! You’ll be the first person I come to if I ever feel the need to voice my woes.” He was smiling but Nami prided herself on her ability to read people, she could tell he had no intention of talking to her about what was troubling him. Which was fine, she didn’t want to force him or anything, but she couldn’t help the hurt feeling in her chest.

Maybe he was still hung up on their fight. She had slapped him rather hard. Though she still stood by her actions. Funnily enough, his face wasn’t even bruised.

Without thinking, she reached a hand out to touch the cheek she hit. Sanji made an odd face, almost a flinch but he managed to hold it back. Nami immediately pulled her hand back.

“Sorry, I-”

“It’s not you, Nami-san,” Sanji grimaced.

“Sanji, it’s fine, I get it.”

“No, really,” he said. He took one last drag of his cigarette and tossed it overboard before he grabbed at a spot just below his chin. He began to pull off what looked like a thin skin colored mask. As the mask left his face, ugly dark bruises appeared like splotches of paint against his pale skin.

Nami couldn’t help but gasp. Just looking at it hurt. How long had his face been like this?

“Have you let Chopper look at that?”

“Not yet.” Sanji folded up the mask and put it in his pocket. He seemed to want to look anywhere but at Nami. “It’s only some bruising.”

“It must hurt.”

Sanji shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

“Did your family do this?”

“They’re not my family,” he hastily corrected. “Family doesn’t...do the things they’ve done to me.”

The small confession made Sanji feel more uncomfortable than he already was. He wasn’t used to talking about his past with the Vinsmokes and honestly he highly doubted he’d ever feel comfortable doing so.

“Don’t.”

Nami reached up to take Sanji’s hands away from his hair. He’d been pulling at it. Funny, it was such a habit he hadn’t even noticed. His hands shook, held within Nami’s smaller ones.

“Sorry.” Sanji began to feel that familiar stinging heat behind his eyes. “Sorry, I’m sorry.”

Nami gave his hands a gentle squeeze. “Sanji-kun, it’s okay. You’re safe now.”

It broke her heart to see him like this. She was used to a carefree and energetic Sanji, the man standing before her now seemed almost like a different person.

Sanji looked upwards and blinked a few times, his breathing was a little unsteady. He tried to swallow down the painful lump in his throat but of course nothing stopped the tears that sprang unwanted to his eyes.

He was so fucking tired of crying.

Yeah, he’d been through a lot recently and old emotional wounds just barely stitched together over the years had been roughly torn open with reckless abandon but Sanji would really just prefer to suffer in a way that wasn’t so visual.

He could take the pain but he didn’t want others to see it.

Sanji pulled his hands away to wipe at his eyes. Unfortunately, his body took that as a message to produce more tears. Not for the first time, Sanji wished he wasn’t so goddamn sensitive. He always wanted to look cool in front of Nami but so far all he’d done was make her feel bad and then start crying. Some man he was.

“This is so embarrassing,” he managed to get out without his voice breaking.

Nami frowned. “Oh, shut up. No, it isn’t. You’ve been through a lot recently. It was bound to take its toll. Come here.” She held out her arms but Sanji shook his head.

“I’ll get your shirt wet, Nami-san.”

“I don’t give a fuck, Sanji-kun.”

Nami grabbed Sanji’s head, careful to avoid his injuries, and forced it down onto her shoulder. Boys could be so stupid.

Sanji tensed up at her touch but almost immediately relaxed into the curves of Nami’s body. She smelled like citrus...and home.

He gently put his arms around her.

“I missed you,” he mumbled into her shoulder. “I missed all of you so much.”

“Don’t you ever leave again.” Nami hugged him tighter. “Promise me.”

“I...” Sanji wanted to promise that but he knew if it was a choice between his well being and his nakama, he’d never choose himself. If it meant keeping them safe he’d leave a hundred times, whether they ended up hating him or not. “I can’t.”

“Fine.” Nami pulled away to look him in the eye. “Then at least promise to let us come with you next time. We’re just going to run after you anyway so you might as well agree to it now.”

Sanji let out a choked laugh through his tears.

“Shit. I love you so much.”

Nami smiled. “I love you too.”

Sanji’s eyes widened comically. “So this was a love confession!”

“Don’t push your luck,” Nami said as she smacked the back of his head.

Some things never changed.


End file.
